11 Tips: Preparing for and Taking College Entrance Exams

There are many ways to assist your son or daughter in getting ready for the college entrance exams. Here are a few tips to prepare for tests:

1. Take advantage of free resources. There are many online websites that have practice questions and tests,  along with tips, hints, and advice. Find tools to help build those skills that you struggle with (such as vocabulary, reading comprehension, or essay composition).
2. Don't procrastinate. Daily practice and exposure to test formatting can help alleviate cramming and stress at the last minute. 
3. Talk to someone who's taken the test. Seek advice from others who have taken the test regarding the best way to approach the test, considering timed sections. Get advice on what to bring along and how to schedule the testing day
4. Consider tutoring if necessary. Tutoring can help you focus on challenging areas and can also give you testing advice. However, only use tutoring if you are willing to do the additional work since private tutoring can be extremely expensive.

And tips for the student when taking the test:

1. Select only one answer for each question. When writing exams select one answer for each question.  While it may sometimes seem that there is more than one answer, remember that there is only one correct answer, so choose the best answer for each question.
2. Pay attention! It’s easy to put your answer in the wrong place so pay close attention to make sure you place your answers in the correct number space and section on your answer sheet. 
3. As a last resort, guess! You are not penalized for guessing, as in previous years. However, before guessing, always try and eliminate at least one incorrect answer choice.
4. Watch your time. The SAT consists of several small, timed tests and it can be easy to lose track of time, so pay attention to how much time is allotted for each test and how much time is remaining as you proceed through each section. Only spend a few moments on the easy questions and no more than a minute or two on the more challenging questions. Pacing yourself requires practice, so practice, practice, practice.
5. Tackle easy questions first. When taking the SAT, you can save time for the harder questions by doing the easiest questions first, which typically appear in the beginning of each section.
6. Make sure you understand the question before you answer it. If you've taken a lot of practice tests, you'll be tempted to answer questions you recall from those tests. Make sure to answer the questions being asked and not those from practice tests. 
7. Bring your own watch or timer. There isn't always an accurate clock at the testing center so don't forget to bring your own stopwatch to keep accurate track of time.

A great resource is “SAT: College Preparation Course For The Christian Student.” The author,  Dr. James Stobaugh, offers the Christian student a unique opportunity to be well prepared for the test. Also, students will focus on the spiritual disciplines of Bible reading, study, Scripture meditation and memorization, and prayer. A former SAT scorer, Stobaugh reports the best SAT scores come from students who have serious, disciplined prayer and devotional lives. For this reason, the introduction to each lesson includes Scripture reading and a devotional journaling exercise.  Each lesson included in this book has been designed to prepare the student academically and spiritually for the challenge of studying in college or university.